Seed treating machine



Feb. 14, 1933. c. c. CALKINS SEED TREATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1950 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor 52 AUDE 5.. F u H/NS Attorney Feb. 14, 1933. c cCALKINS 1,897,361

SEED TREATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 "4 I WE \uCZAUQE CURL/(INS Inventor Attorney Feb. 14, 1933. CALKINS 1,897,361

SEED TREATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 i g i% Q77 E2'9 CLAUDE QUALm/75 i 23 Inventor Attorney Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SEED TREATING MACHINE Application filed February 3,1930. Serial No. 425,508.

My present invention relates to improvements in seed treating machinesfor the elimination of smut and other diseases before the seed isplanted.v As is well known to those familiar with seed planting andgrowing of crops, the spores of smut accumulate on the surface of thegrain, in the brush end and also in the cracks, where they lie dormantuntil after the grain is planted in the soil.

The same moisture which causes the grain to sprout also causes the smutspores to germinate, the sprout of which attacks the plant seedlingfastening its mycelial threads into the tissues of the growing plantwhere it remains feeding on the plant until the kernels are formed inthe head at harvest time at which time the same fungus enters the newlyformed kernel completely devouring it and making a smut ball instead ofa kernel of wheat. In the process of threshing, these smut balls whichcontain as high as three or four million smut spores are broken and arescattered on the surface of the good grain, which in turn if plantedwithout being killed reinfests the new sprout.

It is necessary to kill the smut spores without injuring the germ of theseed prior to planting in order to prevent the growth of the smut.Formerly the seed was immersed in formaldehyde or other solutions ofsufficient strength to kill the smut spores, however, the strongsolution penetrated into the germ of the seed killing large percentagesand weakening others, thus greatly reducing yields. It has beendetermined that copper carbonate, ceresan, semesan and other fungicidedusts if applied to the seed in a manner so that the dust is actuallyground into the coat of the same will carry on the seed into the soil atplanting time. When sufiicient moisture is available to germinate theseed, the fungicide dust will be brought into solution re-acting on thesmut spores, killing them without injuring the germ of the seed.

As previously indicated, it has been determined that it is absolutelynecessary that the fungicide which because of its cost is used in smallquantities, approximating two ounces per bushel of seed grain, must benot only distributed throughout the seed, but actually fixed into theseed coat. This can only be accomplished by a continuous rubbing actionand can best be accomplished where the fungicide and the seed to betreated are rubbed continuously together for a period of time.

Large warehouses, elevatorsand even large farm operators using seed inlarge quantities find it necessary to apply fungicide dusts rapidly andefficiently and my invention makes it possible to evenly distribute andapply these fungicide dusts to the coat of the seed to be treated at arate of two hundred to three hundred bushels per hour, and the manner inwhich this is accomplished will be set forth hereafter.

In the physical embodiment of my invention I employ a stationary vesselor drum that is closed during the treating operation and the drum isequipped with rotary duplex agitators or mixers for setting up theco-related 7 movements of the grain and copper carbonate as hereafterdescribed.

The treating powder is fed to the drum with the grain in desiredproportions, and the treated grain passes through the drum and isdischarged into bags at the discharge end of the drum.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements ofparts as will hereinafter be more fully set forth. In

the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of thephysical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts of the machine arecombined and arthus far devised for the practical application of theprinciples of my invention, and the machine has been satisfactorilyefficient and commercially successful in the performance interior of thehead from which the treating powder is fed to the seed hopper.

ranged according to the best mode I have 85 Figure 6 is an enlargeddetail sectional View at the discharge end of the machine, as at line 66of Figures 5 or 8.

Figure 7 is an exterior side view of the parts of Figure 6. v

Figure 8 is a top plan View of the machine.

Figure 9 is a transverse vertical sectional view of parts of the machineat line 9--9 in Figure 8.

Fig. 10 is a sectional lines 101O of Fig. 9.

Figure 11 is a perspective View of a shield plan view taken on .usedwith the feed of the seed treating powder.

The machine and its operating parts are supported in a main frame 1 ofsuitable construction, and I employ a stationary drum or vessel 2,.having a fiat bottom, concave top and rounded sides, and preferably ofmetal. The drum is fashioned with a drop bottom 3 that ishinged at 4longitudinally of the drum, and the drop bottom may be opened, asindicated, in dotted lines Figure 1, to empty the drum, as for cleaning.

\Vithin the stationaryv drum are two spaced, parallel agitator shafts-6and 7 extending throughout the length of the drum "and journaled in themain frame of the machine. Each shaft has. mounted thereon an agitatoror stirrer for the seed and grain, said agitators comprising spacedspider frames 8 and longitudinally extending slats 9 fixed at the outerperipheries of the spiders.

The agitator slats are preferably of angle iron bars and they arearranged to pick up the material from the lower portion of the drum, asthe agitators revolve in the directions indicated by the arrows inFigure 4. Shaft. 6 revolves clockwise and shaft 7 revolvesvanti-clockwise, and between the two agitators the material is lifted,tumbled, turned over and the seeds, byrubbing; or attrition are cleansedin the presence of the powder. The powder is also caused to enter allcracks or openings in the grains becauseof the intimate rubbing andagitating of the material. In their rotary movements the agitatorsoverlap, orpass through intersecting paths along the longitudinal centerof the drum, thus insuring at the center of the drum the maximumtreating operation for. the grains. The material as it is commingledgradually passes from the feed end of the drum to. the discharge end,and the continuedaddition of the material to the drum at the feed endcauses a continuous flow of thematerial from the discharge end intobags.

- For operating the agitator shafts I employ meshing gears 10 and 11exterior of the drum, and the shaft 6 is driven through its sprocketwheel 12, chain 13, and a sprocket wheel 14 on the operating shaft 15which is journaled in bearings of the frame below and at one side of thedrum. The operating shaft has a drive pulley 16 and drive belt 17suitably connected to supply the power for the machine.

The grain is fed to the drum at one end from an overhead hopper 18 whichhas a convexbottom 19 conforming to the concave top of the drum, and ascrew conveyor 20 on shaft 21 inthe bottom ofithe hopper feeds to thefeed end. The screw conveyer is located at the longitudinal center ofthe hopper and the material flows down its inclined side walls to the.bottom and from there the material is fed to the top of the drum at itslongitudinal center. 1

The screw conveyer shaft 21 is revolved through the transmission meansinvolving a sprocket wheel 22 on shaft 21, chain 23 and the sprocketwheel 24 on the driven agitator shaft 7, all located outside the drum.

As the seed grain is fed from the hopper to the drum, the seed treatingpowder, in proportionate quantity is added to the grain, and the supplyof powder is fedby gravity from the powder box 25, having a closed top25 and fixed at the inner side of one end' 26 of the hopper.

The powder box has a round outlet. port 27 in its bottom and the size ofthe opening of this port may be controlled by the use of an adjustableoutlet gate 28 pivoted on' a bracket 29 and located at the underside ofthe bottom of the box with its free end in position to closeiorpartially close the outlet or feed/ ort for the powder.

Within the lower portion of the box is 10- cated a combined stirrer oragitator, passing through the material to prevent packing, and also awiper for clearing the feed port so that an even feed of powder may passthrough the port. The stirrer and wiper are operated by a shaft 30 thatis journaled in the walls of the powder box, and this feed shaft has asprocket wheel 31thereon driven by chain 32. from the sprocket wheel(not shown) on the shaft 21 of the screw conveyer. 4

Withm the box the feed. shaft 30' has a crank arm 33 secured thereto bya set screw 34, and this arm, which has a forked or bifurcated end'35carries a wiper 36 of flex-- ible material, as rubber. The crank arm isadjusted on the feed shaft so that the wiper shall pass across the port27 as the feed shaft shaft 30 to stir up the powder, and preventclogging of the material.

The powder thus passes freely through the port 27 and flows downwardly,back of a shield 39 that is secured to the face of the hopper wall 26 toprevent scattering of the powder, and the latter drops to the bottom ofthe hopper 18 in which is located the feed port 40 for both grain andpowder from the hopper to the drum. The screw conveyer feeds the grainto the port 40 and the powder falls into the grain as it is passingthrough the port. The size of the opening of port 40 is governed by theuse of aslide gate 41 that is supported in spaced grooves 42 on thebottom of the hopper, and this gate may be set to govern thepredetermined, regulated flow of the material from the hopper into thedrum.

At the opposite end of the drum is located the discharge port 43 in thelower portion of the vertical end wall of the drum, and an inclineddischarge spout 44 is attached at the outer side of the drum wall, overthe port, for discharge of the material. Hooks or hangars 45 areattached at the outer end of the spout for supporting the bags, and thematerial is fed through the port and spout to the bags, successively, ofcourse.

While a loaded bag is being removed and replaced with an empty bag acut-0d gate 46 in the spout is closed. This gate, which is hinged at 47to the top wall of the spout, is open while the material is running, asindicated in Figure 6, but is closed to cut-off the flow of material.

Outside of the spout the gate has a crank arm 48 to which is connected asnap spring 49 attached to the outer face of the drum, and this spring,as seen in Figure 7, and shown by dotted lines, is designed to snap thegate and hold it in either closed or open position.

A suction fan 50 is utilized to draw the excess dust from the spout anddispose of it in a suitable manner. The fan is operated from the shaft15 by pulley 51, belt 52 and pulley 53, as seen in Figures 1 and 4.

The intake pipe 54 of the fan blower is connected to the dischargespout, and the discharge pipe 55 of the fan blower disposes of the dust.The dust may be blown into a condenser or other receptacle, and in thismanner not only the excess or waste carbonate, after using, is disposedof, but the dust that has been separated from the grains is alsodisposed of in a sanitary manner.

An important feature of my construction may be found in the grain chute56 secured to the head end of the drum 2 directly below the feed port40. This chute leading down into the drum discharges the grain andpowder from its lower end and determines the height to which the grainwill fill the drum,

' the dotted line of Figure 4 at the bottom of the chute 56 indicatingthe desired surface of the grain being treated in order to secure thebest results.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a seed treating machine, thecombination with a closed drum, a pair of spaced parallel shaftsjournaled therein and revolvable in opposite directions toward thelongitudinal center of the drum, and agitators on said shafts, of ahopper above and extending the length of the drum, a gravity feed bottomin the hopper having a port to the drum, a longitudinally extendingconveyer in the hopper discharging at said port, means located inposition for co-operation with the gravity feed port for introducing atreating powder to the drum, and means for discharging the treated grainfrom the drum.

2. In a seed treating machine the combination with a closed drum, a pairof spaced parallel shafts journaled therein and revolvable in oppositedirections toward the longitudinal center of the drum, and agitators onsaid shafts adapted to pass through intersecting planes at thelongitudinal center of the drum, of a grain hopper above the drum havinga gravity feed bottom and a port opening to the drum, a conveyer locatedin the hopper and discharging at said port, a powder feeding devicehaving a port above the grain port, means for controlling the feedthrough both ports, and means for discharging treated grain from thedrum.

3. In a seed treating machine, the combination with a drum and agitatingmeans therein, of a hopper mounted above the drum and an inlet portbetween the hopper and drum, a powder box having a discharge port abovethe inlet port and means for feeding powder through the discharge port,independent means for regulating gravity flow of material through bothports, a shield mounted in the hopper between said ports and verticallyspaced above said drum to form a feed passage for gravity flow of powderto the inlet port, and rotatable means for feeding grain to the inletport beneath the shield.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

CLAUDE C. CALKINS.

